Okay guys I am brand new at posting pics but I'm hoping I have it figured out. My wife got a day off from teaching thanks to a snowstorm and came by the job with warm soup:) and the camera. I don't have a whole lot of work photos so it was nice to get a few today, despite the fact that it was pretty cold and raw in the woods. The job is a modified clearcut in 4-5 acres of old pasture white pine. There are some large aspen thrown in for good measure which are also being whacked. The edges of this stand have some real nice pine from a habitat standpoint (short and bushy) but this stuff is 65+ feet tall and the crowns have beat on each other so much over the years the area offers little in regards to thermal cover. Where sunlight can reach the floor the regeneration is quite good, with a mix of pine, cherry, and maple seedlings identified, along with various grasses and shrubs. The goal is to release and give ample sun to these seedlings, and hopefully create a thicket full of woody browse and good cover within the next 3-5 years, if it even takes that long. The aspen component will certainly respond much sooner than that. This first photo shows what part of the area looks like, and its taken right off of the established road so you can see some shrubbery. It doesn't do justice to some of the trees though, as many are actually 13-14 inches dbh and bigger.

PALogger

01-21-2011, 11:24 PM

This next pic is the workhorse of the operation, nothing fancy and it makes a lot of noise, but aside from some minor maintenance its been a real good machine for me.

PALogger

01-21-2011, 11:32 PM

This picture might give an idea of how crooked some of this stuff really is when you see it limbed out behind the machine. Thats me all bundled up and looking fat, granted I could lose a few pounds but a high temp of 20 degrees and a steady wind requires some layers. The pants are made by a logging shop in New Hampshire, are a water resistant nylon, have sewn in insulation and have the cut resistant pads in them. I like them because they are less cumbersome than chaps. Boots are steel toe packs with caulked bottoms, a must for climbing around in tops and log piles on a daily basis. Working in these conditions is too risky to not use every bit of safety gear available.

PALogger

01-21-2011, 11:34 PM

The fun part is unhooking 6 stems with cold fingers and heavy gloves on!

PALogger

01-21-2011, 11:37 PM

Back for another round, setting chokers an a pine top in the background, aspen stick in the foreground. You can see by the pics too that I have a variety of chainsaws. Local dealer sells Stihl, Jonsered, and Dolmar. I have at least one of each. The one pictured here is my go to sized saw, 72cc. Power to weight ratio is real good with it, and it turns pretty good rpms which is great for limbing softwoods.

deertrainer

01-21-2011, 11:43 PM

Well that beats the heck out of my kodiak 450. Can only towe one 10ft log at a time. The damage I could do with that MONSTER.:eek:

PALogger

01-21-2011, 11:45 PM

Here is a section nearly finished. On the right of the photo you can see a few trees I had laid down before the last nights snowfall. The cherry on the left of the photo has decent form for this area of PA and a healthy crown so it has been left. Next to it is a red maple, left more for support and stability in instances of high wind than for its habitat value. You may also notice some other small and poorly formed white pines in the background. These are left as bumper trees that I know will be rubbed when I pull the turns out, so I leave them standing to protect the leave trees and cut them at the end. This stand stocked so thick I had to cut my way into it, although normally you start in the back and work your way out, trying to use trees marked for harvest as bumpers and saving the crop trees. Hope you guys like the pictures..Greg

rrroae

01-21-2011, 11:56 PM

I really like those after pics with the explanation for why you did what you did.

Please post more pics when you have the time to take some. I think it really helps give folks ideas what they should be looking to do.

letemgrow

01-22-2011, 12:22 AM

I really like those after pics with the explanation for why you did what you did

Me too!!! Great pics.

PALogger

01-22-2011, 09:14 AM

I will try to remember the camera when the truck comes, hopefully Monday. I will also try to take some photos as the area nears the end result. Truthfully the machine has been on the job a few weeks but I have been battling a cold and haven't been too productive lately. Thanks for looking.

Geo

01-22-2011, 09:57 AM

Nice work, PA.

G

Jeager

01-22-2011, 10:43 AM

How long have you owned and operated the Jonsered?

Has there been any issues with that brand?

I've been using Stihl's since the early 80's and have never considered buying another brand until using a neighbors Johsered last year. I REALLY liked that saw! I just haven't had an opportunity to ask anyone who uses that brand professionally, until now...:D

Thanks,

Shedhead

01-22-2011, 12:45 PM

At least Your out of the mud!!

PALogger

01-22-2011, 09:03 PM

Jeager, so far I really like the saw. Its a brand new model from Jonsered and was new to me in November. Its got a few hundred trees under its belt now and I am really happy with it thus far. That model is a 2172. It replaces the well-known 2171, which is actually the saw I hoped to purchase but the dealer had sold his last 2, and this newer version was my only choice. This saw (2172) is the newest generation of pro saws from Jonsered that will meet the EPA guidelines. I have not taken this particular saw apart fully yet, but have seen the technology firsthand at the saw shop. Too complicated to explain over the computer so if you really need to know ask a good tech guy.
So far I have noticed this one is very comfortable to run, but I have always preferred the red saws ergonomics over their orange cousins. This saw has a fairly wide powerband, and has not disappointed me in regards to stump power or limbing speed. I have had every inch of my 20 inch bar buried in large ash on a previous job and it pulled as expected for a 72cc saw. It also revs quick and fast, which I why I find it to be the saw I grab most mornings on this particular softwood job.

Scarecrow

01-22-2011, 09:15 PM

Looking good Greg. Thanks for posting the pics. Just curiouse.....what does the owner plan on doing in the cut.....food plot? Planting Cover? Natural regeneration? That's the beauty with clear cuts.........there's so many options. The cuts you made for me have kept me busy for the past 10 months
and I've only just touched the surface. Stay safe and stay warm Greg ;)

Dan

PALogger

01-22-2011, 10:16 PM

Dan, he is going to let it grow back as it wishes. The snow and tops hide the ground enough to show how it looked in the summer. Regeneration is already coming in very well in places where the sun penetrates the canopy, so I have no doubt it will really pop within the first few years. There is also enough of an aspen component to safely say aspen sprouts will appear soon after harvest. The landowner is educated in regards to forestry and does have a management plan. He started clearing a small portion of the other pine stand similar to this one and had great results in terms of what came in and the habitat benefits it generated. However, he realized doing a project of this size..8-10 acres of pine and possibly some TSI on the hardwood ridges, would take him years of weekends if he were to tackle it all alone. Because of some new markets I am actually able to compensate him with a fair rate for the material. He wont be buying a new SUV with the income generated, but it will be more than enough to offset some of his costs related to tree plantings, food plot seed, or whatever else he chooses to do with it.

Bnhpr

01-23-2011, 11:16 AM

Is that a 230A Jack? International engine?

PALogger

01-23-2011, 05:35 PM

Its a 240, just a little heavier than the 230. Powerplant is a 353T detroit. Anyone who has spent any time around older equipment quickly recognizes the almost obnoxious noise emitted by one of those 2-stroke diesel engines. However, they are fairly reliable and most parts can still be picked up at the local NAPA. No computer controlled stuff on that one, its an '84 model year.

RacksNQuacks

01-23-2011, 07:21 PM

Nice pix and description PALogger. Give that photographer a raise! From here it looks like that Jack is about ready for a water seperator.....:D